Authorities fatally shot a woman near New York City’s Times Square after she allegedly stabbed two people in a pair of attacks officials described Monday as “random and unprovoked.”
One of the victims, identified as a 32-year-old woman, died at a local hospital after she was stabbed in the abdomen, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.
“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world at any given moment,” Tisch said.
The second victim, a 68-year-old man who is in stable condition, had just gotten off the subway and was waiting to cross the street with his wife when he was stabbed, Tisch said.
The attacks occurred 20 seconds apart on Monday afternoon, she said.
A witness saw the suspect, identified as a 49-year-old woman from Queens, remove two knives from a red shopping bag before she approached the first victim.
Officers shot the woman after she threatened to kill the officers and advanced toward them, Tisch said.
They opened fire after stun guns proved ineffective, she said.
Disturbing video of the incident shared on social media shows a woman surrounded by officers. A series of gunshots and the sound of a stun gun can be heard as the woman moves toward the officers while waving something.
The video shows the woman falling to the ground.
Tisch said the suspect had no criminal record. She had a documented mental health history with the department, she said.
